A little while ago, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James was being criticized for not taking a big shot against the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

But a few games after that, James was being immortalized. He scored 29 of his team's last 30 points in a Game 5 victory over Detroit, gave Cleveland control of the series, and eventually led the Cavaliers to the series victory.

It was as if one game did more for his aura than the previous 340 combined.

And as the NBA Finals series vs. San Antonio approached, James was being compared to Michael Jordan; and being christened as the savior of a league that may or may not need saving.

He wasn't just King James anymore. He was being written about and spoken about like some type of basketball god.

Then came Game 1 of the finals on Thursday night.

James struggled. He shot 4-for-17 and was limited to 14 points as the Cavs got thumped. It was undoubtedly an off night.

"James was bad and his Cleveland Cavalier teammates were worse,'' wrote Eric Gay of The Associated Press.

"James came to the NBA's greatest showcase with the promise of Michael Jordan. But he gave more of a John Starksesque performance,'' wrote Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune.

"We've come here to anoint James,'' wrote Steve Hummer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "An entire army of adjective-armed sports journalists is at its station, ready to carry him off on their shoulders. But he's going to have to help out just a little more than this.''

The AP report of the game noted that James was unable to come anywhere near scoring 36 points - like Jordan did in his NBA finals debut in 1991.

It's as if James was supposed to waltz in and make the veteran Spurs look like amateurs.

It's as if James predicted he would torch the Spurs for 36 points.

But in all honesty, what were the chances of that?

The kid's 22 years old, neither he nor his team had ever played in the finals before, and they happened to be up against a tough-as-nails opponent that thrives on defense.

Odds were that James and the Cavs would have a tough time, and they did.

And since expectations for James were set so high, he's now a flop - at least until he has another big game, and people start anointing him again.

The best way to evaluate James is to wait and see what he does for the whole series. There are still at least three games left. But nowadays, nobody's patient enough to wait and see before expressing - or demanding - some kind of opinion. And perhaps more, so everybody wants to find hero.

I don't remember James comparing himself to Michael Jordan. Other people did. So if he doesn't turn out to be the next basketball god, maybe we shouldn't make such a big deal about it.

(Sports Editor Jon Matsune can be reached at 582-0471, ext. 3058)

(June 8, 2007)